


Aunt Lisa

by John_Q_Sample



Category: Hello Neighbor (Video Game)
Genre: Abuse, Family, Food, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-15
Updated: 2019-09-15
Packaged: 2020-10-18 19:48:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 881
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20644697
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/John_Q_Sample/pseuds/John_Q_Sample
Summary: With Aaron missing - not "missing" as the neighborhood thought he was, but after having scaped the house - Mr. Peterson is desperate to find him again. This brings him to the doorstep of his sister Lisa, several states away.





	Aunt Lisa

Years of living on her own has left Lisa Peterson with some pretty decent cooking skills, but common breakfast foods are clearly not among them. As she scrapes the burnt but somehow still runny scrambled egg remains into her trash can, she decides that the usual toast with various toppings will have to do for now. Later she'll go to the grocery store and pick up some more food.

At a highly inconvenient moment where both of her hands are full, the doorbell starts ringing. It sounds like whoever it is keeps jamming their finger against the bell, so she puts the pan back on the stove and tosses the spatula back inside. The ringing becomes more frantic as she turns off the stove, and soon she's running towards the front door to answer it.

It's her brother, standing on the porch and looking practically deflated.

"Theo, you look terrible," she says before she can even think about what's coming out of her mouth. Then she revises, "What's wrong?"

"When was the last time you saw Aaron?"

Frowning, Lisa says, "Probably Diane's funeral, why?"

"Are you _sure_?" The question comes out with an exasperated tone, Theodore almost breathless asking it.

Lisa begins to wonder if he stopped to sleep on the drive over here. The dark circles beneath his eyes insist that he didn't.

"Well, before that, it had to have been Christmas a few years ago, right?"

Theodore sighs, sinking.

"What's wrong?" Lisa asks again.

He hesitates.

She watches him.

"Aaron's missing," he says. "He ran off after Mya passed away."

"Oh, Theo, I'm so sorry."

"It's very, _very_ important that I find him again, Lisa. Now are you _sure_ that you haven't seen him?"

Lisa knits her eyebrows together. "You know your neighborhood is a _long_ way away from here, right? Even with a car, it's a long trip."

"That's what I was thinking. But I was thinking that he might have been hitchhiking or, I don't know, stole some money for a bus ride."

"And why would he come _here_ of all places?"

"Because he can't stay at home," he responds simply.

Lisa puts a hand on the door. She wants so badly for it to be closed and locked and for him to just be _not_ here.

She's never distrusted her brother so much before.

"Have you contacted the police in your neighborhood?"

"Yes, but they wouldn't be able to find him if he was here."

"What about his friends?" Lisa recalls a few names mentioned of people from school and whatnot.

"I...haven't been able to ask him. The police will, I'm sure."

Lisa stares at him for a few seconds.

"Theo, you have to tell me what happened."

He passes a hand over his forehead. That's when Lisa realizes he's wearing thick gardening gloves.

"Mya fell off the roof. Well, Aaron pushed her."

"On accident?"

"Probably," he snaps, "but it's not like anyone saw it. So they could have easily just said that he did it on purpose. I just didn't want anything to happen to him."

Lisa struggles to prevent her suspicion from showing on her face. It does _not_ escape her voice. "What did you do to him?"

"_Nothing_. I was just keeping the police from finding him. And now they're going to be looking for him for certain! I just have to make sure that he's safe."

Something about the way he talks disturbs her. She imagines her nephew covered in bruises with leaves sticking out of his hair as he stumbles through God-knows-where in search of somewhere safe, safe from his _father_ of course.

She had always thought that he was good with kids. Well, he used to be, didn't he?

"Look, I promise I'll call you if I see or hear anything," Lisa says. "And...I really am sorry that all this happened. Okay?"

He nods, not looking convinced. Fumbling with his own hands, he seems to stumble back to his car. He sits in the driver's seat for a bit. Then he leaves.

Lisa slams the door closed and locks it behind her. Whirling around, she sprints into the hallway.

"Aaron?" she calls out.

There's a vague muffled response from the guest room. Lisa goes through the door and finds him crouched beside the bed.

"He was here," he whispers. "He guessed that I would come here."

Lisa moves forward and pulls Aaron up to his feet. "He guessed that, yeah, but I told him you weren't here. I don't think he's going to come back."

Aaron puts his hands over his eyes. "What if he _does_?"

"You're just gonna have to lie low for a bit, okay? I know you've...been doing that a lot, but I promise you're going to be safe here."

She's not sure that's something she _can_ promise. There's no telling what Theodore would do if he found out she lied to him; hearing Aaron's story made her permanently terrified of the horrible things he could do with the proper motivation.

Lisa puts an arm around him and pulls him close. He stands limply, leaning over towards her.

"Let's just go and eat some breakfast, okay? I hope you don't mind not eating eggs. They turned out pretty bad."

He wipes his nose. "'S'fine..."

**Author's Note:**

> current headcanon: diane calls mr. peterson "ted" but his sister lisa usually calls him "theo" or jsut "theodore". most other people aren't on first-name terms with him and even some of the adult neighbors will still call him "mr. peterson"


End file.
